As part of the international promotional campaign for AMC's The Walking Dead, series star Norman Reedus was doing a media appearance in Tokyo when he was accosted by a snarling, legless zombie.

The prank, part of Fox Television's #getFOXed campaign (Fox is the international distributor for the series in many markets), saw The Walking Dead fan and Vine “Zombie Prankster” Nick Santonastasso, who has more than 534,000 followers, flown to Tokyo, where he was transformed into a walker by the show’s Special Effects guru, Greg Nicotero.

Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes on the series, was Nick’s co-conspirator, manning the control room and giving the final go ahead, while hidden cameras captured every angle of Nick’s big scare on Norman Reedus (Daryl). Nick’s prank was a follow up to his existing 2-part viral “Zombie Prank” Vine series which, ironically, had gone viral in part because Reedus tweeted them enthusiastically.

The fan-favorite actor briefly shouted in alarm, but quickly recovered, recognizing the zombie crawling toward him and calling him a series of affectionate epithets.

17-year old Nick, was born with a rare syndrome called Hanhart and has only one arm and no legs. His determination and infectious zest for life have enabled him to overcome countless obstacles and he has now become an inspiration for many kids and adults. Because of his outspoken love for “The Walking Dead,” Nick was the perfect fan to launch the “#getFOXed” campaign.

New episodes of The Walking Dead return in the U.S. on February 9 and in much of the rest of the world on February 10.